Research

New ways of digital working are changing the essential structure of work. I am investigating how these new ways of working influence the way that tasks are completed and, in turn, the relationship people have with work.

My current interests fall into three related themes:

Micro-interactions like typing or tapping are the building blocks of digital work. As digital devices become more common and their interfaces more heterogeneous it is important that our understanding of these micro-interactions keeps up. My research investigates how these micro-interactions can be improved to better fit people’s objectives and abilities.

Work is increasingly completed on devices such as smartphones that are always on, always connected and always generating notifications. I try to understand why interruptions in some situations are more disruptive than in others. I am working on ways to amplify the positive properties of interruptions – such as timely delivery of important information – while minimizing the chance of overloading people with interruptions.

The larger strategic behaviours that we call ‘work’ are directly influenced by micro-interactions. Prevailing working conditions emphasise different patterns of micro-interactions. It is necessary to understand the reciprocal effects of these macro- and micro-level interactions to understand the nature of modern digital work.